Why Working Out With Weights Is Better Than Running

Choosing between weights and running is a common dilemma among those that work out consistently. Which area should you devote most of your energy in the gym? We’re weighing the pros and cons of both!

Running involves high impact on your joints, especially your ankles and knees, in order to raise your heart rate.

With weights, you are able to achieve the exact same result, without the placing so much stress on your joints.

The intensity comes from the ability of your muscles to cope with the resistance, which causes your heart to pump harder and faster to keep up. That being said, you can expect your cardiovascular health to improve when training with weights, without the additional stress on your joints.

Working with weights also allows you the luxury of variety in your exercises. There are a plethora of ways to work each individual body part as opposed to running, which primarily trains your lower body. If you’re bored of running, the only variation you could do with it would perhaps be sprints or circuit training. With weights, the possibilities are endless!

When you train with weights, chances are that you will be able to get your basal metabolic rate increased much faster than when you are running. Unless you are constantly sprinting or training intensely, lifting weights will provide the adequate stress needed for your body to kick into the “afterburn effect”. This means that the basic calories burned when you are resting increases, resulting in a higher rate of weight loss.

Lastly, working out with weights promotes muscular hypertrophy. Running itself just doesn’t cut it when it comes to building muscles, except maybe the calves. With weights, you are able to target every single muscle group in your body, leading to a well-proportionate and functional body that is capable of carrying out everyday life with ease.

Even though working out with weights is superior, that doesn’t mean you should eliminate running from your exercise routine completely. The key aspect of a healthy lifestyle is to have a balance between your resistance training and cardiovascular training. Everything in moderation is the best approach to a healthy life, so don’t let weight training stop you from running!

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